#a more in-depth rantnalysis manga-novel comparison would be better left for another post. or idk a power point presentation or a video

[poisonzeth]

Wait, let me, I've actually ranted about this to friends so, eh, warning: I do Not like Ace's story manga. My rating it a 2/10 is being generous, it's only that high because Deuce content, it fills me with spite and pushes me to make my own version of the manga (lemme plug the drafts here lmao).

For a better understanding of my everything about this, check under the cut, cuz boy-o-boy do I have thoughts about the changes.

I'll be focusing on the first chapter/Ace and Deuce's first meeting.

Oh, and if anyone hasn't read the manga or the novels, there Will Be Spoilers.

First, I need to come out and say I don't like the art style.

This is a personal opinion, ofc, so I'll go over that too.

Boichi is really good with lighting and rendering but he overdoes it with the details, especially because it doesn't work that well for a story as toony as One Piece.

He is also weirdly good yet bad at the same time with anatomy, in a way that leaves it in the uncanny valley for me, it is very detailed but some details are kind of weird. Cute Deuce, but everyone else? Ace, darling, where are your freckles? Your droopy eyes? I'm not even asking for the greasy hair.

I have no idea how he manages to make all these characters (and I mean all, both men and even more women) so deeply unattractive.

He only manages to accidentally draw Deuce cute because his over-detailing and rendering tendencies get absorbed by Deuce's mask.

Not sorry to Boichi but this Ace cannot pull the shit that Alabasta Ace does (tho Alabasta Ace is peak, his Ace can't compare to any other canon depiction of Ace, not even to their shadow) this Ace ain't awakening shit in nobody.

But whatever.

Narratively, it's also weaker.

Starting with the first chapter, Deuce and Ace's first meeting.

So they're stranded on that damn island, where there's nothing to eat, which is why people die there, ah well, in the manga these giant monster birds are living there, which automatically negates the no food thing, so that's +1 hit with the Stupidity Laser to our boys.

Originally, Deuce meets Ace and doesn't wanna deal with him, Ace is like: let's work together and leave this place.

And Deuce is like: nuh huh

Even tho they're on an island where there's no food and they'll die of starvation if they stay, Deuce being the narrator helps, we meet him while he monologues to a pirate's corpse in Sixis, he's a silly Emo Mcedgelord who sees Ace as a shinning sun and assumes a lot of bs.

He's also really funny.

So, from the beginning, we get a feel of Deuce's personality and how his brain works, we get to understand why he doesn't want to work with Ace despite the horrible position they are in (it's paranoia) and we can start assuming stuff about his upbringing from his mental everything, stuff that he later confirms to us while talking to Ace.

All this is lost in the manga.

And not because it is a manga, a lot of what I pointed out can be shown with little to no words when we have the support of a more visual side to the narrative.

They do end up talking a bit.

Both Ace and Deuce assume things about the other, we get to see that Ace is not dumb, he has a sharp mind and sharper instincts, despite Deuce's denial, internally, he confirms to us that what Ace's conclusion about him is correct, on the other hand, Deuce is being prejudiced and spiteful, partially, because he's been 3 days stranded in Sixis and partially because of his upbringing. For example, Deuce immediately assumes that Ace has a loving family that misses him and Ace is like: never met my mom, neither did I my dad but I don't like him, he was a criminal that left us nothing but trouble.

So Deuce responds with: he can't be that bad, it's not like he was that demon pirate king, cuz like, if I was the pirate king's son I would've killed myself.

Ace: …

Deuce: …

Ace: …

Deuce: omg you're the pirate king's son

This interaction also shows us that Deuce can and is as sharp as Ace, even if he has foot-in-mouth syndrome.

In the manga, he just kinda connects the dots waaaay later, after the confrontation with White Beard.

They try to make it an emotional moment where Deuce regrets some things he told Ace while worrying about his captain's life when Whitebeard appears to fight him, but it falls flat to me, he didn't really say terrible things to him, like, 1 phrase was a bit mean sounding but it all came from a place of deep care and worry for Ace.

It's also in this first meeting that Ace names Deuce, and I think this detail is really important, it's both relevant to their interaction and how Deuce will end up dedicating his life to Ace. It's connected to the previous detail about showing their smarts, prejudices, etc.

Deuce tells him that he abandoned his name and face when he left home and that's why he wears a mask.

(Ace: oh, you must really love your family if you're hiding your identity to not bring them trouble

Deuce: Actually, I hate them, they hate me and I want nothing to do with them

Ace: …)

Ace presents himself and Deuce is like: I like your name, I might take it as a penname for when I publish my adventure journal

Ace: what? No, that's my name, it would be very confusing if we're both Ace

Deuce: I never say I would take it right now

Ace: nah, you know what? I'll call you Deuce

Deuce: do you know what that means?

Ace: nah? But it kinda matches right? Sounds nice

Deuce: …

In the manga, he just chooses the name himself at the end of the first chapter.

The manga skips pretty much all of the first novel except for them getting to Sabaody and then the rest is New World, and it also deletes A LOT from that.

After their first conversation, they start working together in the manga, however, in the novel, they're still not working together.

This takes me to the Finding of the Mera Mera no Mi scene.

In the novel: Deuce is delirious with hunger and goes to attack Ace when he sees him with a fruit, but Ace sees him and decides to share the fruit with him, it turns out to be the mera mera, and since Ace took the first bite he now is fire.

In the manga: Deuce gets angry cuz he thinks Ace is hoarding food (they've been working together all this time) and attacks him even after Ace explains about the monster birds, and Deuce, ofc, gets attacked by the birds and is saved by Ace, that's when he finds the mera mera in a treasure box which I'm supposed to believe they hadn't seen even tho they've been working in that area with that stuff for a while now, and Deuce is the one to share the fruit.

This just doesn't hit emotionally nor narratively for me, we're supposed to be shown how and why Deuce would end up devoting himself to Ace, come on.

Ace's kindness after their disastrous first meeting is what awakens Deuce to his prejudices and leads to his devotion to Ace.

The novel and manga do the same "Ace is suddenly aflame and they panic until Ace notices that he doesn't feel heat or pain" but since they're on the shore, in the novel Ace is like: oh hell, nah, I don't need/want no devilfruit rn, wait, maybe it isn't.

So he walks into the sea like: see Deuce? I'm fine! It wasn't a devil fruit it waahhhhhh~

So Deuce saves him, questions some things and Ace goes off to talk about his little brother (cuz ofc he does, he does that several times in the novel, most of which was cut in the manga).

The first chapter, in the manga, fails to convey why people would be willing to follow Ace, why they would feel drawn to Ace and why Ace would be chosen as a captain.

The manga completely cuts the rest of the first novel, from what little we learn about Ace's crew and adventures to Ensign Isuka. Another important character to showcase what I previously said.

She's, ofc, the main marine following Ace, a true samaritan who just wants to help people. She also shows us a little of the kind of life Ace has had on the sea. Yes, she's trying to capture Ace, but after dealing with him she knows that Ace is a good man, she wants him to abandon the life of piracy, but she is naive and ignorant, until the last chapter in Sabaody.

The first novel, as short as it might be, gives us a glance at the Ace's life pre-Whitebeard.

And then the second novel shatters what meagre status quo the first volume settled.

The manga covers mostly this part of the story, although it also cuts A Lot.

Despite the focus being on Ace's first fight and later time with the Whitebeard pirates, the novel also gives us a little of Ace on Fishman Island.

BTW, the second novel isn't narrated by Deuce, and so, let's us follow other's POV, although Ace is still the main (it's narrated in 3rd person).

The novel, also, it's a lot charming and funnier than the manga. Even though both cover Ace's meeting with Shank, part of it is also cut, some being legit funny moments like when he meets Shanks who is very confused when he meets Ace (+ him literally going: this kid should be with the revolutionaries).

But moving on to the meat of the novel.

The manga focuses on Ace's fights with Whitebeard, which, again, not only robs us of what meagre content we get of Ace's crew, it also takes away from Ace's growing attachment to the Whitebeard pirates (specially Thatch) and Whitebeard himself (despite we not seeing much of their interactions anyway).

Like, Thatch being in charge of Ace, dragging him here and there, having him help in the kitchens and just having a fun time together.

The mission in one of Whitebeard's territories Ace is sent to is also very important, it helps him (and us) see the kind of man he is, as well as Ace's dynamic with his own crew and Whitebeard's.

Also, there's this joke in the manga of Ace not knowing that Deuce had knowledge of medicine, which grates on my nerves, because: Are you telling me that I'm supposed to believe that after sailing together all this time Ace never knew that Deuce is a doctor? (well, drop-out medicine student but whatever -Deuce is literally a medicine student dropout who decided to follow his dream career of creative writing-) Deuce from a family of doctors and has studied that shit. Are you telling me that in all those times anyone on the crew got hurt, Deuce never treated them? Are you telling me that I'm supposed to believe that?

And again.

We were ROBBED of what meagre content there is of Ace's crew (did you know he has 2 gyojin there? Baby boy Wallace and Madam Banshee whom I love dearly? Both of them. Did you know that Banshee prefers older men and men who can cook? She specifically mentioned both White Beard and Thatch -I ship her so hard with Thatch you guys-).

To me, the manga fails on so many levels and it's just narratively SO Weak.

+ it's ugly and I hate the ending because what do you mean Deuce wrote about his time with Ace and went "nah, this ain't for the world to see"??? Exfuckingcuse me?

I could go on comparing scenes and changes and whatnot but I better not tbh

Question to everyone who has read both the Ace novel and the Ace Novel Manga:

What are your genuine thoughts on the manga and the changes they made to it?

I personally have many issues with it going from the changes to sixis, the chemistry between Ace and Deuce (how deuce got his name, how deuce found out roger was ace's father to mention a few examples), and the complete erasure of isuka.

If I had to give it a rating I would give it a generous 7/10. I'm glad it exists because we have more deuce content appearance wise but at the same time when he draws the men detailed it creeps me out don't even get me started on how the women look...